July 2009

As a Diamond Club member, you have unlimited access to the most valuable RV and family camping travel planning resource on the Internet.

This Month's Diamond Club Member News!

In May, we let you know about saving on fuel and RVing with pets. This month, we are excited to bring you a great new vacation opportunity that encompasses both. Woodall's understands that while spending quality time together is important, the cost of a family trip is often expensive. So, we would like to introduce you to a vacation club that you can enjoy up to 240 camping nights per year and pay no nightly rates. Woodall's Vacation Club, through an affiliation with Equity LifeStyle Properties' private resorts, is a membership that allows you to vacation close to home with the entire family in the most breathtaking natural settings. See section A Few More Important Words below for more information.

How our modern highway system came to be and how to make sense out of its identification and numbering scheme

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road. Healthy, free, the world before me, The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose… – Walt Whitman, "Song of the Open Road"

Some road trips live on as legends, but others are best forgotten. Some journeys merit retelling and remain impossible to forget…like the road with no name or number.

When you're RVing down the highway at a good clip, enjoying the freedom of the path ahead, singing Willie Nelson's classic "On the Road Again," it's nice to know where you are and where the pavement ends. Sure, it's fun to be free and easy traveling America's vast highways, but at some point you'll have to make decisions.

"Are we on the Dixie Highway or the Dixie Beeline?"

"Is the Ventura Freeway the same as the 101?"

"Where the heck are we?"

Fortunately, the funding and enactment of the Federal Aid Highway Act resulted in the comprehensive numbering of roads. RVers traveling across the U.S. today may find it difficult to imagine the country without the interstate highway system, but when President Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act, on June 29, 1956, interstates began to meet the challenge of the growing number of vehicles on the nation's highways.

When we first decided to become full–time RVers, we never imagined that we would find ourselves playing defense for a way of life that we love so much. Needless to say, full–time RVing isn't for everyone. Space is tight. Fuel is expensive. And even though you're living out in the margins of society – there are still deadlines to meet, bills to pay, things to fix, and lessons to learn.

However, when we first started writing about RVing with pets, we ran into an unexpected form of resistance from other pet owners that disapproved of the treatment of our traveling companions. The criticism, it seems, stems from the assertion that cats and dogs were not meant to spend their lives moving from place to place.

At first glance, I found their comments (usually delivered by e-mail) a little odd – given the fact that cats and dogs have accompanied travelers since time began. Explorers routinely took dogs along (and still do) for both companionship and protection. And without cats, ocean voyages would have been nearly impossible due to uncontrolled rodent populations that would have devoured essential food supplies and spread disease. Today, cats and dogs routinely accompany people on houseboats, yachts, RVs, cars, and everything else that move from place to place.

And yet the criticism still remains. And then, when I gave birth to my first child last year, people were amazed that a couple living in an RV could cope with the challenges of bringing a baby into the world. (Of course, they weren't the only ones). But it was only a matter of time when a familiar criticism made its way into the conversation. And once again, the criticism stemmed from the assertion that children were not meant to spend their lives moving from place to place.

According to the ancient Greek poet Pindar, "Water is the best of all things." But would Pindar, who lived from 518 to 438 BC, understand our contemporary concept of carrying fresh water with us, or of tapping into a different source of city water each evening? Certainly there was a high degree of importance placed on the availability and the freshness of water during those ancient times. And so it should be today. We should wonder just how fresh (safe) the water is at the various campgrounds we visit.

The Bad…

Not long ago, USA Today analyzed millions of records from the nation's 170,000 regulated water systems during the years 1993-1997 and concluded, "Each day, millions of Americans turn on their taps and get water that exceeds legal limits for dangerous contaminants. Millions more get water that isn't treated or tested properly, so there's no telling if it's clean." Think water worries are just a dilemma from the long ago past? The worst outbreak of a waterborne illness in U.S. history was just a few short years ago in 1993 when a parasite in Milwaukee's water system killed 111 people and made 403,000 people sick. A report by the Medical College of Wisconsin and the EPA estimates that 7.1 million Americans suffer nausea or diarrhea yearly just from foul water. The bottom line? Take a proactive attitude and be sure the water you allow into the fresh water system of your RV is indeed fresh and free from contaminants.

Frommer's National Parks with Kids is a great resource to learn where and how to experience family fun activities together such as kayaking, sailing, hiking a canyon or rainforest, or even becoming a junior ranger. This book provides detailed information on kid friendly programs and the best little known spots that are available at each national park. Make your family vacation memories last forever without breaking the bank and order your copy today!

By Mark Nemeth

Hi, all!

I hope you are enjoying a summer of RVing. We've got a mixed bag of questions this month and some additional information submitted by readers on the battery drain problem we discussed in the May newsletter. ----------------------------------------------- Mark: I have a 2008 V–10 Class A and want to know if the Banks power intake system will help with the gas and power for the cost of it. Thanks, Don.

Hi, Don: The Banks systems can be a great addition if you are interested in increasing engine horsepower and torque for towing and hill climbing. The modifications will also help the engine perform more efficiently and may offer modest improvements in gas mileage. The overall improvements vary from vehicle to vehicle, so I suggest you contact Banks directly. They have some excellent information available for most late–model gas and diesel engines, showing the average performance and economy gains you can expect from various Banks systems. Visit their website at www.bankspower.com. It is very well designed and easy to navigate. Banks also has a very good reputation for quality and service. --------------------------------------------- Howdy: What product can I use to remove "sap" from my rubber roof and travel trailer? Thank you, Frank.

Hi, Frank: This is a common problem, and the rubber roof complicates it a bit as you should not use petroleum solvents on it. You can always use a cleaning product that is designed for rubber roofs, such as Thetford's rubber roof cleaner, but there are some other possible solutions. Some I have talked to report good results using rubbing alcohol (or drinking alcohol), and some folks have successfully used "Goo–Gone," but I would suggest caution, as it is powerful stuff! You may think I'm a loony when I tell you that mayonnaise is very effective on tree sap. Really! I read about it somewhere years ago, tried it, and was amazed at how well it works. It will dissolve tree sap on skin, clothing, auto paint, and even on rubber roofs. Spread it on, let it sit for a few minutes, and wipe off. Then clean the area with soapy water to remove the residue.

Please remember, material will be edited. Because of the large volume of material and correspondence submitted, individual replies will not be possible, nor can we acknowledge receipt of your material. Selected questions will be answered in future issues of the Woodall's Wisdom newsletter in the Mark, My Words column. The Mark, My Words column also appears in Escapees magazine, a bi–monthly publication of the Escapees RV Club. For more information visit www.escapees.com/magazine

The new Mini Maglite LED flashlights are now available with new MAG-LED technology. Choose the super bright two–cell AA model for its smaller size, or the longer three-cell AA model with its high performance. These flashlights provide a powerful beam that focuses by rotating the head. They can also be used in "candle mode" by unscrewing the flashlight head and placing the head on a stable flat surface, then setting the flashlight barrel in the head. MSRP: MAG doesn't set retail prices, but we found the two–cell model at retailers for around $24. MAG Instrument: 909/947–1006; maglite.com.

Mag Instrument is the only flashlight company with significant market share that still manufacturers its entire line of flashlights in the United States. Unlike its competitors, Mag Instrument has chosen not to outsource the manufacturing of its flashlights to foreign countries in order to take advantage of cheap labor and less stringent environmental standards, which may also result in inferior quality.

Season steaks with salt, pepper and paprika. Blend butter or margarine, oil and lemon juice and brush steaks with mixture. Lightly oil the cooking grill and place the fish on grill about 4 inches above cooking coals. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning and basting frequently.

CLEAN GREEN THETFORD'S NEW ECO–FRIENDLY LINE OF RV CARE PRODUCTS

Thetford Corporation recently introduced its new line of RV care products that include five products, all of which meet the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Design for the Environment (DfE) program's criteria without giving an inch on cleaning power. The EPA DfE program was founded to reduce pollution through prevention. All products that carry the EPA/DfE certificate logo contain no inorganic phosphates, hazardous solvents or environmentally harmful ingredients.

Included in the Thetford Premium DfE RV Care product line are: UltraFoam Black Streak Remover, UltraFoam Awning Cleaner, Mildew Stain Remover, Hard Water Spot Remover and Wash & Wax. Non–toxic and biodegradable, these products are also packaged in recyclable plastic containers that are made from 25–percent post–consumer recycled content.

Woodall's Vacation Club

Enjoy a family vacation that's close to home in the great outdoors. On arrival, you will experience the comfort of resort–style activities and amenities that will make you feel miles away. What's even better is that all properties part of Woodall's Vacation Club membership feature safe and secure guarded entrances and easy access, spacious sites with full hook–ups. In this edition of The Navigator, Woodall's would like to extend our valued customers a $100 discount off the enrollment fees. Click here to learn more.

Wildlife sightings are a delightful part of being outdoors. Like all highlights of outdoor recreation, the desire to capture these moments with a photograph is a natural reaction to such a pleasurable experience. To help make it a more pleasurable and rewarding experience, here are 10 tips that can make the pictures you bring back home even better.

Know your camera – Most of the time, the best wildlife photos present themselves in situations that last but seconds. You have a much better chance of capturing these moments if you know your camera well enough that its operation is second nature.

Know your subject – Understanding animal behavior puts you in the position to anticipate action. The more you know about various species of wildlife, the more successfully you'll photograph them.

Follow along with RVers and travelers just like you by reading their trip journal. We've selected the best websites of people who have traveled in North America. These travelers have agreed to let us feature their website. Take a look. More Journals

Locks are Good – Sometimes!

I decided to put a king pin lock on our 5th wheel so that someone couldn't just drive away with our trailer while we were away from camp in our truck. One morning on the Oregon coast I went to hitch up, not noticing that the lock ring was still in place. I ended up breaking our truck's 5th wheel hitch, 800 miles from home, and had to pay $1200 for a new one.

When selling your RV, be wary of anyone who offers you an unusual purchase arrangement. Don't accept checks for more than the purchase price and don't relinquish your RV before receiving the full payment amount. Use a reputable escrow service, such as Escrow.com, to exchange goods safely and avoid scams.

On a quest for the RV of your dreams? Check out the featured RV below or see more listings at rvsearch.com.